Elevating conveyer



Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES FRANCIS M. TAYLOR, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO ELEVATING CONVEYER Application filed January 15, 1929. Serial No. 332,595.

This invention relates to improvements in conveyers, and has particular reference to that class of conveyers wherein is embodied a power driven endless chain, together with 5 means for guiding the chain and with supports for retaining bodies or objects in connection with the conveyor during the operation of the latter.

More specifically the invention is directed 10 to a mechanical lift or conveyer which is adapted for use in buildings for the purpose of transporting quickly and conveniently objects or bodies from one floor to another of the building, and to this end the invention consists in the provision of a chain having its going and return runs disposed in a vertical plane with the chain being trained around sprockets of a suitably driven character, the chain being arranged for movement in guides and provided with horizontal olf-set arms or supports upon which the commodities handled by the conveyer are received for movement in connection with the chain, said supports being of such construction as to permit of the automatic removal of the commodities from the elevator while the latter is in motion, thus permitting the conveyer or elevator to be operated at high op erating speeds to obtain a large carrying capacity. y

A further object of the invention rests in an elevator or conveyer of the character set forth adapted particularly for use in newspaper buildings for transferring molded type plates from one floor of sucha building toanother, the construction of the apparatus being such as to effect this operation at a high rate of speed with but the least amount of apparatus. v I

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section taken through a building in which the'conveyer or elevator mechanism comprising the present invention is mounted,

Figure 2 is a front elevation of said conveyer or elevator mechanism,

Figure 3, is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4: is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the elevator and the article support or carrier,

Figure 5 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a slightly modified form of carrier and take-off table,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the construction disclosed in Figure 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 1 designates a building which is constructed to include a base or cellar floor 2 and superimposed floors 3, 4 and 5, of which latter any suitable number may be included. These floors are provided with registering elevator openings 6, which are adapted for the reception of the elevator or conveyer mechanism 7 comprising the present invention.

The elevator or conveyer mechanism consists in this instance of a base casting 8, which is mounted on a foundation'9 arranged in the base 2. Carried by the base casting 8 for vertical adjustment is a bearino plate 10, which may be maintained in various positions of vertical adjustment with respect to the casting 8 by means of the threaded connections 11. The plate 10 carries a shaft 12 around which is mounted for rotation a loose sprocket 13 around which sprocket passes the lower portion of an endless chain 14.

The chain 14 has its going and return runs disposed in a vertical plane and the chain is so mounted as to operate inthe floor openings 6. The upper portion ofthe chain passes around a drive sprocket 15, which is fixed upon a shaft 16'mounted for rotation within a housing 17 which is carried by the upper floor 5. The housing is provided with suitable gearing driven by an electrical motor 18 by means of which the sprocket 15 will be rotated at a desired rate of speed commensurate with the service required of the elevator mechanism. The operation of the motor 18 is, of course, under manual regulation by conventional controlling means (not shown).

The chain 14 is provided at intervals with offset bearings 19, which receive horizontally extending pins 20. These pins pass through frames 21 which are provided with rollers 22. the latter being received within a continuous slot 23 provided in a guiding frame 24. This frame is arranged vertically and parallel with one side of the endless chain 14, and is connected with the base casting 8 at its lower end and the housing 17 at its upper end, said frame also having suitable connections at intervals with the floors, indicated in the drawings by the numerals 3 and 4. It will be seen that the guiding frame is quite rigid in reference to the movable portion of the conveyer. In order to form the slot 23 the two parts of the frame 24 are united by straps 25.

The outer ends of the bolts or pins are connected with carriers 26 which are constructed to support articles in connection with the chain 14. The inner or base portion 27 of the carrier is connected with the rollered frame 21 and lies immediately adjacent to the outer surfaces of the guiding frame 24. In this instance there is pivoted to the inner partof each carrier an arm 28 which is provided at intervals with arcuate off-sets 29. The construction of the arm 28 and the offsets 29 is such as to accommodate one of the half circular plates 30 which are applied to the printing drums of newspaper printing presses particularly. In fact, it is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a construction for expeditiously handling the transfer of such printing plates in newspaper establishments. Owing to the pecularities of newspaper publication, it is requisite that these plates shall be transferred from one floor of a building to another within a coinparatively brief interval of time and the present invention provides the means for securing this result and with the use of but the minimum amount of machinery.

Suitably secured to the outer edges of the guiding frame 24 are guide devices 50 which are arranged in series so as to define a channel on the face of the guiding frame 24. Each guide device is formed with a guiding edge 51, the ends of which are directed outwardly so that the channel produced by a pair of guide devices includes a restricted portion 52. The guide devices are placed in pairs at suitable intervals and serve to maintain the carrier 26 in a vertical position by means of the cooperation between the guide device 50 and the base portion 27. In order that this cooperation may be facilitated I prefer that the free end of the base portion 27 be formed wedge shaped.

I 011 one or more floors of the building there may be provided one or more take-0E tables 31, which are adapted to effect the automatic removal of the plates 30 from the conveyor mechanism while the latter is operating at high speed. Each of these tables, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, consists of a main stationary frame 32 on which is mounted for rotation a plurality of horizontally journaled rollers 33. At the end of the frame nearest the opcning 6, is a pivoted frame 3' This frame is mounted for oscillating movement about an axis 35 ournaled at one end of the stationary frame 32. It will be seen that when the frame 34 occupies a horizontal position it will be located to receive and remove the plates 30 from the elevator. However. when the frame 34 is elevated it will occupy an inactive or inoperative position removed from the path of operation of the plates. Thus by raising or lowering the frames 34 the transfer of the plates to the different floors is regulated. The carriers 26 may each be provided with a cam shaped extension 37 so arranged as to pass through the slot 38 in the center of the movable frame 34 ahead of the carrier 26. The cam serves to positively force rearwardly the plate 30 which may not have been removed from the table so as to insure the sustained and uninterrupted operation of the elevator. It will be understood that the motor 18 is of the reversible type so that the elevator may be operated in either direction, that is for carrying objects within the building 1 either up or down as expediency may determine. This is made possible by the fact that the carriers are suspended pivotally from their supporting blocks or frames.

In Figures 5 and 6 a slightly modified form of the invention has been disclosed, wherein the carrier 39 is adapted for the support and transportation of articles of different shape than the plate 30, such for example as boxes or the like. In this instance the carrier arm 40 is provided with a fixed bracket 41, which is provided with horizon' tally extending forks or tines 42. T hese forks or tines are shaped so as to pass through elongated open slots 43 formed in a pivotally movable belt frame 44. It will be seen that as the conveyer chain operates the forks or tines 42 are so arranged as to pass through the slots 43 when the frame 44 occupies its active or lower position horizontal with the floor surface. By this method of operation the endless belts 45 provided on the frame 44 are in a position to receive the weight of the objects carried by the carrier and to transfer such objects rearwardly of the table.

The table further includes a stationary frame 46, provided with a plurality of drums or rollers journaled for rotation abouthorizontal axes as indicated by the numeral 4?. Endless belts 48 pass around these rollers and said rollers are driven by a motor 49 arranged on the floor.

It will-be seen that the conveyor tables operate to automatically receive the articles delivered thereto by the carriers, and that the construction of the table is such as to permit the carriers to pass therethrough Without hindrance or obstruction. This permits the articles to be removed from the elevator and at the proper floor. By lifting the movable part of the table frame, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 5, any particular table may be removed from co-operation with the conveyer mechanism so as to control the floor at which the articles supported by the conveyer are to be removed.

What is claimed is:

1. In mechanism of the character described, a frame provided with an endless slot, spaced rollered supports movably guided by said slot, conveyer means connected with said supports for efiecting their movement around said slot, an arm pivotally depend ent from each of said supports, guides carried by said frame for maintaining said supports at desired periods of operation in substantially vertical positions, and a work receiving member pivotally carried by each of said arms and projecting laterally therefrom.

2. In mechanism of the character described, a vertical frame provided with an endless guideway. a plurality of carriage blocks adjacent said guideway and cooperative therewith, a power driven chain connected with said blocks for maintaining the latter in spaced relationship and effecting their support and movement around said guideway, a pivoted. arm depending from each of said blocks, guide devices carried by said frame and cooperative with said arms to maintain the latter at intervals in sub stantially vertical positions, and a substantially perpendicularly extending material support carried by each of said arms.

3. In mechanism of the character described, a vertically disposed stationary frame structure, said frame structure being formed to include an elongated endless guide, a power driven chain mounted for movement contiguous to said guide, a plurality of carriage blocks carried by said chain and moved in unison with the latter around said guide, pivotally mounted arms depending from said carriage blocks, stationary guide devices carried by said frame structure and co-operative with the depending portions of said arms to maintain the latter in substantially vertical positions at pre-determined intervals, and a plurality of pivoted material supports can ried by said arms, said material supports being arranged normally inperpendicular re lationship to said arms.

at. I11 mechanism of the character described, a frame structure formed to include an elongated endless guide, a power driven chain arranged parallel with said guide, carriage blocks mounted upon said chain and movable in unison with the latter around said guide, a pivoted arm depending from each of 

